1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety illumination device that can be mounted to the edge of a ski or snowboard. It provides a variety of illumination effects so that users have a number of colorful and attractive options of safety lighting when on a ski slope at night.
In recent years, many ski resorts have begun to offer nighttime skiing hours. Resorts place lighting along the side of selected ski runs to provide illumination during evening hours so that nighttime patrons can safely engage in the activities they enjoy. Unfortunately this illumination is not always sufficient to cover the width of a run, and illumination is often more spaced out at higher parts of the slope. Due to insufficient lighting, there are often dark areas on the ski slope where users may be unable to see the terrain. Shadowy regions on a run are a safety hazard because it is difficult for skiers and snowboarders to see objects or people within the shadowy area. Poor visibility increases the likelihood that patrons will collide with each other or obscured objects in the terrain. A solution is needed that provides safety illumination capable of alerting persons uphill and downhill from a user to the user's presence, as well as providing the user with illumination of the surrounding terrain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art devices fail to provide structure that allows the flexible placement and function of the present invention. The present invention provides a light-emitting device mountable to a snowboard, skiboard or individual skis. The emitted light radially illuminates an area directly in front of the device to provide a snowboarder or skier with improved visibility of immediate terrain. A small magnetic wand is used as a control device and facilitates toggling of emitted color patterns and blinking. The device thus provides improved safety while snowboarding or skiing in poor visibility conditions and has the added benefit of a number of visually entertaining light effects. Though the prior art discloses a handful of light-emitting devices for snow and board sports, none of these devices is removably mounted to any portion of the nose or tail of a snowboard or ski.
Illuminating devices are sometimes secured to the binding of a ski or snowboard to provide lighting in the area around the user's boots. Hogenmiller, et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0150255 discloses one such device that removably secures to the binding of a ski. The illuminating device consists of a series of ultrabright LEDs (or like light source) coupled to a removable power source such as a 9.0 volt battery. Holes are drilled along the sides of the binding bottom to receive the LEDs. The lights are then held in place by hook and loop fasteners, tape or other adhesive. Individual lights can be removed and replaced with lights of another color to permit users to customize the color of the glow. Unlike Hogenmiller, the present invention does not require permanent modification to any part of a snowboard or ski. Indeed, it provides a soft water resistant foam or rubber mat that is inserted between screwing means and a snowboard or ski to protect the user's equipment from damage. Many winter sports enthusiasts are particular about their equipment set-up and would be highly reluctant to permanently modify their bindings. With the present invention, users do not have to make these modifications to experience highly customizable illumination.
Wells, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0212980 discloses a riser for a snowboard or skateboard that provides illumination to the feet area. The riser is made of a translucent acrylic and contains a plurality of LEDs and a power source. On a snowboard the riser is a plate that a snowboard binding sits on. The binding is attached to the snowboard through the riser. When the device is turned on, via an on/off toggle switch, light is emitted from underneath the binding, lighting up the area around the feet. Many snowboarders do not like to use risers because it lifts the feet away from the board creating a feeling of being disconnected from the board. Minor adjustments to toe and heel pressure cause riders to veer to one side or another, making it important to have a solid connection between the feet and the board. Thus many riders feel that the feeling of “disconnectedness” experience during use of risers, results in a poor snowboarding experience. The present invention does not require users to make any changes to their fundamental snowboard or ski set-up.
Other illumination devices provide light to general areas along the sides or top of a snowboard or ski. Jaime Sr. U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,289 discloses a device for skateboards or snowboards having parallel bands of lighting attached to laterally opposing sides of the board. The band is a translucent tube containing lights and a battery source. When the device is in use it provides colorful, customizable illumination color patterns. Neither Hogenmiller, Wells nor Jaime Sr. disclose lighting that removably secures to the front of a snowboard or ski. These devices illuminate the area around the user's feet but not the area directly in front of the snowboard or ski. The present invention can be removably secured to any portion of a user's board, but the preferred placement is on the nose/tip of the equipment. It has a curved recess designed to receive the nose or tail of a snowboard and can be secured without damage to the equipment.
Another type of lighting device is taught by Petaia, U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,433, which discloses a device for assisting in the locating of equipment lost in the snow. When a skier or snowboarder falls, the equipment can disconnect from the person's feet and fall down the slope. Equipment is easily lost in deep snow or poor visibility conditions. Petaia addresses this problem by providing a device that attaches directly to a ski or snowboard and emits light or noise if the equipment disconnects from the user's feet. The device remains inactive so long as the equipment is in use, but will active with sound or strobing light when equipment is separated from the user. This device assists users with locating skis or snowboards lost in the snow, but it is not helpful for providing illumination while the equipment is in use. The present invention provides a device that can be activated or deactivated by the user at any time. Further, the Petaia device requires modification of the user's skis or snowboard, while the present invention is removably securable without permanent modification.
These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. They do not illuminate the snow directly in front of the user's skis or snowboard. Many of the devices are limited to use in a particular area, such as the user's feet or the sides of a snowboard. The present invention does not suffer this drawback because it can be removably secured to any portion of the edge of a ski or snowboard. This allows the user to direct emitted light according to his or her preference. Additionally, several of them require permanent modification of the user's equipment. The present invention provides a soft, water-resistant pad to be placed between attachment means and the user's equipment to prevent damage to the surface or structural integrity of the ski or snowboard. Lastly, none of the aforementioned prior art devices provide a magnetic wand that controls light patterns and color selections, allowing a user to control device settings without removing equipment from his or her feet and fumbling with the device. It substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing ski and snowboard illumination devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.